Wherever It Takes Me
by KristaIsNotAllowedInTheKitchen
Summary: Seven, a simple Nord with a not so simple life, joins the Dawnguard. Things don't go to plan when Seven's life takes a drastic turn out of desperation. What's a girl to do when the only thing she wants is to get rid of the smell of rotting corpses and fancy cheeses? (F!Dragonborn/Harkon)
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Wherever It Takes Me** Fandom/Genre: **Skyrim (Humour)** Pairing: **Harkon/Dragonborn

**Summary: **Seven, a simple Nord with a not so simple life, joins the Dawnguard. Things don't go to plan when Seven's life takes a drastic turn out of desperation. What's a girl to do when the only thing she wants is to get rid of the smell of rotting corpses and fancy cheeses?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Skyrim (unfortunately) or the characters (unfortunately). However; I do own Seven (sort of) and the plot of the story (unfortunately [wait—what?]).

**A/N: **It will eventually become a Harkon/Dragonborn pairing story because there's seriously, like very little stories about him and the Dragonborn and I thought the pairing seemed really cute and adorable in some ways. So, I thought I might add a story to the very, very, very small pile of said pairing. This is the first time I've written Skyrim fanfiction (and actually posted it). So, if it seems a little dodgy, I apologise because I'm not used to people reading my Skyrim works other than a friend of mine. This story is very much loosely based on the Dawnguard quest line, so, things that may have happened or said in the game might not be in the story or vice-versa.  
Any advice, comments and criticism is well welcomed.

**xXx**

_I. Dimhollow Crypt _

When joining the Dawnguard, Seven didn't think she was going to be used as an errand girl. She didn't think she would have to give up her mace and sword for a crossbow. She didn't think she had to give up her light armour for heavy armour that made a very loud clanky noise every time she even slightly moved.

"Go do this," Isran would order, "Go do that. I have a Last Seed dinner party to attend to; you can go instead so I don't have to deal with politics. Drink some ale while you're at it." But Seven stopped drinking after dealing with dear ol' Uncle Sam. Therefore; if Isran ever ordered her to go to a Last Seed dinner party with politics and ale, she would have to decline.

Seven was a simple Nord with a not so simple life. She was Harbinger of the Companions, a skilled thief from the infamous Thieves Guild and a student at the Bard's College. She was the reason Madanach escaped Cidhna Mine. She was the reason that the Dark Brotherhood fell. She was the reason that the Empire won the civil war that was named The War of the Jaggered Crown. She was the reason Alduin fell. In saying that, she ventured to Sovngarde and returned to live the tale. She was—is—Dovahkiin. Dragonborn (though, she really didn't want to know how dragon blood got into her blood line). She's also a champion for a couple of the Deadric Princes. She couldn't say she was proud of the life she owned but she certainly knew that she wasn't going to give it up any time soon.

With her being a part of the Companions and being their Harbinger, she certainly knew of the beast blood. And the beast blood ran through her veins. Because of this, her senses were stronger. Her hearing, her taste, her touch and smell were all advanced. She didn't blame Vilkas and Farkas for wanting to be cured. They no longer had to deal with Nazeem smelling of fancy cheeses and cow manure. But right now, Seven would rather deal with Nazeem smelling of fancy cheeses and cow manure or Maven Black-Briar smelling of mead and fish or Galmar Stone-Fist smelling of fish and old bear fur rather than the smell of rotting corpses.

'_Damn vampires,'_ Seven thought as she held her nose, trying to breath properly whilst inhaling the rotting corpse smell, _'Why do they have to smell of the rotting dead? Why couldn't it be dead flowers? Or blood even, that would make more sense.' _

"Go see what the vampires were looking for in this Dimhollow Crypt," Isran had ordered when Seven had trudged back up towards the castle, "With any luck, they'll still be there."

'_Well, aren't you just a lucky chap then, huh Isran?' _Thought Seven as she attempted to sneak through the crypt, _'Vampires all around, choking me to death with their Namira awful smell.'_ Ah, Namira. Seven never wanted to think about that embarrassing situation. Here, eat human flesh. Taste like chicken. Uh, no thank you. Stupid, repulsive Deadra Princes.

After taking down several more vampires and punching a few skeletons, Seven had enough. The heavy armour she wore was loud and clanky. It was difficult to move in and she would rather be in her underclothes than _that_ horrible armour fashion. She stripped a dead vampire woman of her dress and put it on, disposing all evidence of the heavy armour.

She slid her satchel back around her shoulders. The small bag bounced at her hip. Seven looked down at her toes that poked out from underneath the rim of the dark dress. She wiggled and curled them.

"Bare foot it is then," Seven sighed to herself as she moved on; thanking the Divines that she was Nord. Said Nord was average in looks; dark hair that fell around her waist, silver eyes, scars ran across her left cheek down to her lips that stood out against skin that was lightly tanned from its time out in the sun. And like any other Nord woman, she had a busty figure. She couldn't be called a Nord woman if she didn't have the infamous Nordic busty figure.

Fighting in a dress with only a crossbow in hand was easier said than done. She had no Tolan to back her up. The idiot ran on ahead without her and because he had no experience in fighting so many foes at once, he ended up dead. Well done to him.

"Well done, Isran." Seven facepalmed as she thought of the dead man back in the first room, "You sent a Vigilant who couldn't fight to a crypt full of vampires."

'_He insisted,' _Isran's voice argued in the back of her head. It was scratchy and annoying. Like cats.

"You are vampire hunter and you couldn't handle one Vigilante?" Seven whispered to herself as she shot and reloaded, "What kind of man are you?"

She opened up a gate and ducked behind the railing as she heard vampire talk and taunt over a dead man. Most likely the one Tolan wanted to save. Well, both men were dead and she was on her own. In a dress. With a bow that she barely knew how to use. Oh? You're used to maces and swords? Have a crossbow that you barely know how to use. _'Well freakin' done, Mister I-need-to-take-chill-potion Vampire Hunter.'_ Seven thought bitterly at Isran as she cringed at the smell of vampire.

"I smell mortal blood," A male called out. Seven flinched again. She bet that wasn't all he smelt. She bet he could smell the stench of wet dog. "Find them."

Though she often cursed Hircine for the advantages that came with being a werewolf due to the ability of smelling things a normal person couldn't smell, this time she thanked him. Her ears picked up the soft sound of the light movements of the vampires moving closer towards her. She prayed; _'Please don't find me. Please don't find me. Please—'_

"Is someone there?" A woman called out. They were moving closer. "Ha! Found you!"

"Son of a—!" Seven stood up and shot the first vampire down. She was growing to like the crossbow. It was quite effective. But it sat awkwardly in her hands. And she was yet to get used to the recoil when the crossbow shot the bolt. She reloaded and shot again. The vampire behind the first one fell.

She ran, leaping over them and down the earth-made ramp. She dodged the vampire running at her. She did a one eighty degree turn and shot the male predator.

The clacking of bone against bone reached her ears as she reloaded the crossbow. She turned and saw skeletons jogging towards her. A guard-hated wolfish grin reached her face.

"A bone to chew on," Seven cooed as she whacked the three of them on the head, sending them into piles. An arrow barely missed her face. She watched as the arrow landed head first into the ground beside the body of Tolan's friend. She looked up at the source. A vampire taking aim. "Now that's just rude."

Seven aimed and fired. Missed. She reloaded. Aimed. Fired. Missed.

"Deadra curse it." Seven muttered as she reloaded. "Stop moving!" She called out as she took aim once again. She fired. This time, making him cripple to the ground. She rushed over to him. She killed him before he had the chance to stand back up. She looked at her surroundings. Ancient walls that were yet to crumble still stood strong and proud, to which Seven compared to a Nord.

She placed a hand on one of the stone pillars, fingers tracing old Nordic patterns. Her eyes wandered up the pillar and at the wide open roof. She twirled around, trying to get a good look at everything that surrounded her. It reminded Seven of the time she first stepped into the room in which she would cure Kodlak, her old predecessor, in. She had twirled her way to the centre of the old room before she managed to get to business. Kodlak was cured and she was named Harbinger. One of the last things she expected to hear. Both she and Aela were shocked when she was named leader of the Companions. She was sure the old man managed to get a good laugh at the looks on both their faces before he disappeared and turned for Sovngarde.

Seven froze when she backed up into something that made the cold seep through her dress. She turned slowly to find a thin altar with a button at its top. Her mother always told her not to press buttons or pull levers if she didn't know what they did. And being the wise girl that she was, Seven ignored her mother's warnings and pressed the button.

The crypt was silent except for the high pitch yelp that echoed throughout the tomb. The button did nothing but stab Seven's hand. Today was definitely not her day. When the altar decided to give back her hand, Seven turned and slid to the ground. Her back against the thin pillar of an altar—the crossbow long forgotten. She looked at her hand. It was stained with red and had a gaping hole at its centre. She cursed her so called luck that she didn't bring any healing potions.

"The one day I don't bring them," Seven hissed to herself as she gripped her wrist tightly as if it would help. She groaned as her hand continued to spill blood. "Well done, Sev. Give y'self a pat on the back for a job well done." She sarcastically grinned at herself.

Letting go of her wrist, Seven tore the sleeve of her dress off and wrapped it around her hand. She stood up and looked at her situation. There was nothing here except for a hand-stabbing button. She walked over to one of the basins that surrounding the button she now despised more than she despised Nazeem, Galmar Stone-Fist and Maven Black-Briar put together. And that's quite a lot of hatred for one button.

She leaned against the basin and began to think of what to do. She could always go back and say there was nothing here and that it was a waste of her time. Oh yeah, she could definitely see that going down well;

"Did you find anything?" Isran would ask.

"No_p_e. Just two dead Vigilantes, all the vampires I killed, a couple of death hounds, a draugr and a spider. Oh, and a hand-stabbing button." Would be Seven's reply which would then cause her to get a slap across the back of the head and scolding for not respecting the dead properly. Of course, her retort to that being; "You mean I should have respect for vampires as well? I mean, they're technically dead."

Seven sighed and shook her head. No. She couldn't go back telling him that. Her head began to ache and she blamed the vampires for smelling more like rotting corpses now that they were actually dead. Again, she cursed them.

She put all her weight against the basin. Before she could ponder her decisions further, the basin slid backwards, making her fall to the ground. She quickly rolled over and watched as the basin move to the outer circle and become alight. Her eyes followed the purple streaks that rushed over to the other basins.

Seven groaned and hung her head; "I don't get paid enough to do this." She got back up and made her way around the circle, making each basin come alight. "In fact," Seven mumbled, "I rarely get paid at all."

When the final basin was sent a flame, the ground seemed to come to life as a purple light shot up from around the altar as the basins moved by themselves into place. Seven cautiously and awkwardly side stepped her way over to one of the stone pillars and hid behind it. The gods' forsaken hand-stabbing button was pushed upwards as if it was pulling something up. And it appeared it was. When the ground stopped moving and the purple glow faded away, Seven stepped out from her in-case-of-an-emergency hiding spot. She walked over to the now revealed coffin. She circled it. She came back to the front.

Seven reached out towards the lid of the casket. Her fingers barely touched it when the lid fell down and a girl tumbled out.

"Ugh…where is…?" The dark haired girl asked. She looked up at Seven with golden eyes. _Vampire. _"Who sent you here?"

Seven's eyes were wide. However; she couldn't tell if it was from horror, surprise or both; "Yep. Definitely don't get paid enough."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Any advice, comments and criticism is well welcomed.

**xXx**

_II. In Silent Solitude_

By the time Seven Honey-Maiden (a last name she didn't often tell for reasons of her own) had gotten out of Dimhollow Crypt, night had settled in and made its home in Skyrim's skies. The moons hung high in the sky. If she were to guess, Seven would say it was around midnight. She had gotten out with a few scrapes and bruises but it was nothing she hadn't handled before while training with the Companions. However; she knew by tomorrow morning she would have all kinds of aches in nearly every one of her muscles. Now, she was completely regretting the fact she brought no health potions. The two women not only fought several more draugr, but gargoyles. She hated to admit it, but Seven let out the most girlish high-pitched scream in her life and had nearly leapt into Serena's arms the moment those statues came to life. When Seven had asked about the gargoyles, Serena shrugged and guessed it was her mother.

Serena's mother was not in Seven's good books.

Arching her back, her spine cracked back into place. "Never doing _that_ again," She mumbled.

"_By the way, my name's Serena. Good to meet you."_

"Good to meet you my ass_._" Seven grumbled, turning to look at the woman she had found. "_Oh, I don't trust you. Oh, I don't recognise _that_ name. I don't know how old I am_" Seven impersonated Serena, quietly without gaining the vampire's attention, "Well, guess what, Princess. You're old…"

Seven knew absolutely nothing about Serena except that she had an Elder Scroll and was an extremely old vampire. Said vampire was looking around her, getting used to the cold, quiet wildlife that had probably changed since her time being locked away. Deep breaths were taken by the vampire woman. The night air was fresh and crisp. It was a relaxing clear night and perfect for the trouble minds. For example; Seven's mind. The werewolf knew nothing about the woman she was about to be travelling with. Save the fact that she fights with a dagger or magic, depending on what she felt like using and that she was a really old lady vampire. But what bothered Seven the most (despite the Elder Scroll) was the amount of vampires that were there. Why were the vampires looking for Serena? It couldn't just be because of she was one. Was it because of the Elder Scroll? Was that what they were looking for? But why would they want one? Sure, it would make pretty septim but she doubted that vampires were searching for Serena just to make a few extra coins.

Seven turned around to find Serena only to jump back and yelp when the woman was right behind her. Calming her racing heart, Seven sighed in annoyance.

"Please don't do that again." Seven said, "I _hate_ it when people do that."

She hated it due to the fact that she continuously thought that someone from the Dark Brotherhood was coming for. She was always looking over her shoulder because of that fear. She had been paranoid the moment that the Dark Brotherhood was destroyed. She feared that someone would be looking for revenge. Because of that, Seven was continuously on her toes. It was a reason as to why she was always so tense while visiting the Thieves Guild.

"Sorry," Serena apologised, "Let's get moving shall we?" She began to walk, Seven walking beside her. The wind was blowing from behind them, making their hair blow gently around their heads.

Seven glanced over at Serena. With her hair blowing around her face in the gentle wind of the night, she bet that a passer-by would have mistaken Serena for a ghost. _And_ probably mistake Seven for some wild wanderer.

"Before we go to this home of yours," Seven started after a while, "I need to stop by a city. It's not far, I assure you but I need potions and a new outfit." She paused and looked at her feet, "One with shoes, preferably." Speaking of shoes, only now did Seven realise how cold her feet felt—the wolf blood within her not helping. There were times where she hated having Imperial blood within her. Her grandfather was an Imperial who married a Nord. They had her father who also married a Nord. The dark hair and the dislike of the cold ran through her father and into her.

Serena looked at Seven's feet and saw the slightly blue toes barely poking through. She gave a light airy laugh. "Of course, though I would like to get home quicker, you should probably dress appropriately. And get something to keep your feet warm."

"Why?" Seven laughed as they headed up the hill. But the word _appropriately_ questioned itself around her head, "It's not like I'm meeting a king or anything." Serena said nothing. "I'm meeting a king, aren't I?" She groaned. She did not have a good history with rulers. She had a falling out with Balgruuf the Greater, Ulfric Stormcloak and Galmar Stone-Fist were thrown into a cell all after the war had finished. And since then, she's been hiding from Jarls who wanted her as Thane. Jarl Elisf gave her the space she wanted. At least one Jarl was kind enough to leave her alone. With a sigh, Seven's arms fell back to her side, "Alright. To Solitude we go."

"Solitude?" Serena asked, curiously with a pinch of excitement. "I used to be able to see the Blue Palace from the balcony back home."

"Well, Princess," Seven smirked, "Here's your chance to see it up close."

"Welcome to Solitude," Seven said arms out stretched, gesturing to the empty streets of the city. Her arms dropped, "Let's go."

It had been a while since she had been back in Solitude. She grew up in this city. She knew every hidden spot and every secret entrance. She joined the guards when she turned eighteen. In a way, she had joined just in case her mother was caught fencing for the Thieves Guild and the needed the Guard to turn a blind eye. She would have been that blind eye had her mother not been killed during a sweep job gone wrong. Her partner for the sweep managed to get out with a few scraps and cuts. Seven was a guard for four years before she got caught up in the Imperial Legion ambush. She had simply been making her way to another Hold to deliver a message when it happened. She supposed she was lucky that it wasn't an overly important message. That's what she got for not wearing her guard armour. She left the Solitude Guard after finding out what she was. _Stupid dragon blood_, Seven had mentally cursed at the time. In the end, Seven had joined the Thieves Guild that her mother had fenced for.

Walking to the back door of Proudspire Manor, she opened the door, Serena entering first. Before Seven, herself, could enter, someone called out to her. Wondering who was out so late at night, Seven turned to face the one who called out to her.

"Illdi?" Seven asked , surprised as the shy woman came to a halt in front of her, "What are you doing out so late?" Seven absolutely adored the Nord in front of her. When Illdi first came to the college, she had been very shy. She was still shy but not as much as she had been when she first came. If there was any reason to come back to the college, the reason was Illdi.

Illdi grinned, she held out her hand. In her hand was a flute. "I thought it was you coming down the street." She replied, ignoring Seven's question, "I figured you wanted your flute back since leaving it here with me. I've kept it in good condition. At least, I think I have." Looking at the flute that she gave to Illdi for safe keeping, Seven slowly grabbed the flute from the young woman in front of her using her uninjured hand. "When are you coming back to the College?" Illdi asked, gently.

"One day." Seven promised, "Goodnight, Illdi. Thank you." Seven stepped inside and closed the door after seeing Illdi off.

Like her mother before her, Seven was also a bard. She's been a part of the college for as long as she could remember. The College had celebrated her becoming a guard with a small party for her and her parents. They had played every song Seven had learnt to play and sing. Her mother taught her how to play the flute before she died. The flute in her hand was given to her by her mother. A last gift. Though, technically her father gave it to her but it was her mother who had made it and told her father to give it to Seven if she were to die. He kept to his promise and that was how Seven came into possession of the flute. Though, she hadn't been back to the College since the last festival of The Burning of King Olaf.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder. It was not from surprise that Seven flinched but the sudden cold that seeped through her clothing. He felt like ice was seeping in through her skin, freezing everything within her. Her head snapped up to see Serena's glowing eyes. Seven wondered if they glowed in the dark.

"Are you alright?" Serena asked, her hand retreating to her side.

Seven nodded with a small tired grin, "Yeah, Princess. Of course I'm fine." She stepped forward. "Come. Let's go get you a better dagger." She walked up the staircase.

"What's wrong with the dagger that I have now?" Serena asked, frowning lightly. The fact that Serena has had the dagger since she was old enough to wield a weapon and being told she needed a _better _dagger was slightly insulting.

Seven stopped and turned to face the woman behind her. She gave a grin, "That letter opener? No. I have something better." Again, slightly insulting. Once on the main floor, Seven headed straight for the kitchen, dropping her satchel on the table. Opening a low cupboard, she reached in and pulled out an ebony dagger while also pulling out a potion and gulping it down. She felt her hand no longer pulse with pain. Whatever that button was, made sure that neither her dragon blood or her werewolf blood would heal the wound. It was official, she hated buttons. Seven flipped the dagger into the air and caught the blade itself. She held it up in the air for Serena to take. "Since you like daggers on the occasion, here. This might be more effective than your current dagger. I'll be right back." She stood and headed upstairs to get changed leaving Serena to her own devices.

Closing the bedroom door behind her, Seven slid to the ground with a huff. She buried her face in her hands. The last time she had been back in Solitude was for the occasional quest she had to do that involved being in there. She never stopped to take a break. In and out. Just like a heist job. That's what she'll do once this whole ordeal is over. A nice relaxing heist job before going back to killing vampires or something.

_Well, Sev, whadda ya gonna do? _ She thought, sliding her face out of her hands and looked around her room. Pulling herself up off the ground she headed towards her closest. "Baby steps, Seven," She muttered, "Baby steps."

She opened the cupboard and looked at each set of armour she had to offer herself. There was her Thieves Guild armour, her Legion armour, her old Solitude Guard armour, her fur armour that she refused to wear for it was itchy, her armour of the Old Gods (a gift from Madanach ), her scaled armour that had some enchantment that she was yet to identify on it and her Saviour's Hide armour. Every time she saw it she always thought of Sinding. There were times where she regretted killing the man but who was she to go against the one who blessed her with the beast blood? Well, technically it was Aela but that wasn't the point. When she wore the Saviour's Hide she always got this weird feeling that someone else was watching her fight whatever beast it was that she was fighting. She would feel proud when she defeated people who would seek harm on others or angry when she robbed someone. However, it was not feelings that came from her but from somewhere else that Seven could not describe. Grabbing her Thieves Guild armour, she got changed.

Going to the chest on the other side of her room, she pulled out Dawnbreaker (a sword that has saved her life many times but blowing up whatever it was that she hit) and attached to her hip. She looked down at the glowing mace that laid in wait. Seven shivered. Normally, she brought it along just for the sake of it. It's enchantment that often came in handy also scared many people off. It made everyone that saw it uneasy. It made Seven uneasy. She thought about bringing it along but decided against it. However, she didn't need a house of vampires being uneasy because of it. She slammed the chest closed.

Seven ran her fingers through her hair as she walked back downstairs. Pulling the hood up over her head, she felt safe. Like no one would recognise her. But the unfortunate truth was that they could. They would recognise the armour. They would recognise the power in her eyes. They would recognise her scars that danced down her cheek. Anything about her, they could probably recognise. But the feeling and the idea that no one could was a comfort.

"Serena!" Seven called as she walked down the stairs, "Grab some potions from the large cupboard." She filed out into the kitchen, grabbing her mall satchel. "We've got a long night ahead of us."

And a long night it was. Travelling away from home with an ever small chance of not coming back once again, made the night seem to go by slowly. And as they trudged over the hills to the overly cold beach behind Solitude, the two women were attacked by three spiders, a bear, a random skeleton that confused Seven to no end for it had come out of nowhere and for no reason and a sabre cat. To which Seven had yelled out; "I _hate _cats!" After that, Serena kept a good distance between herself and the werewolf for Serena's companion was grumbling under her breath about killing the nearest thing if they came across another sabre cat.

But it was not Serena that Seven killed when another sabre cat decided to play. In fact, it an Altmer in a fort that was normally hidden in the harsh snow storms of Skyrim. Now, Seven was sure that the arrow that hit her in the shoulder was supposed to be for the sabre cat (well, she liked to believe) but that, apparently, didn't give them the excuse to shrug their shoulders without an apology. Using Serena's old dagger, Seven threw it at the elf that had shot her. Because it was her left hand (for her right arm had gone completely numb), it hadn't been a particularly good shot to which Seven was sorely disappointed. But it got the job done. However, after that, the women were running away from the rain of flying arrows. To which, Seven had yelled out to Serena; "This is why I hate cats!"

"There it is," Serena had said, once they reached the beach. She turned to face Seven who was still trying to pull the arrow out of shoulder in a way that would hurt less. Both were tired from the running and fighting the wildlife. Seven's shoulder pulsed with pain but had refused any help that Serena had offered. Seven's pride and stubborn attitude got the better of her. "That's my home. Castle Volkihar."

Seven looked up from the arrow in her shoulder and down at the row boat and then the castle on the other side. She looked back at Serena.

"I'm not rowing," Seven said, shortly. She ripped the arrow out of her shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Okay, I'm really sorry about how the story jumped from one place and suddenly they're in Solitude. There was supposed to be a gap, but I forgot that here, doesn't like that, so it got rid of the gap and it most likely confused a few people. On that note, I am sorry.  
Any advice, comments and criticism is well welcomed.

**xXx**

_III. Smell_

"Wait! What?" Seven demanded Serena. After the argument of who was going to row the boat—with Serena winning—they made it across the body of water. Of course, with Seven rowing, there was non-stop complaining about the wounded doing the hard labour—however, she had healed before she even started rowing (they took a while with the arguing). Serena had ignored her. But now that they were on shore once more and right outside Castle Volkihar. That was when Serena decided it would be a grand time to tell Seven that the lord of the house—the supposed king she was going to be meeting—was her father. Not only that, if Seven didn't accept his gift of whatever it was that she had said, Seven would become prey. Wonderful. "You mean…you really are a princess?" Sure, everything else that Serena had said and warned about was important an' all but that all went straight over her head when she realised that the vampire woman in front of her was actually a princess of sorts. And here she thought it was a joke.

Serena nodded, "Yes. But you already know that."

"No!" Seven panicked, who for some reason suddenly had the urge to chew on a bone, "No, I didn't! I just called you princess because it amused me. And if you did mention it, I probably ignored it!" Just her luck to have stumbled across an ancient vampire princess in the middle of nowhere and not listen to her. _I blame you, Isran_, she bitterly thought. She ran a hand through her hair, pushing down her hood as she did so. What was it that made Divines and Princes want to make her life complicated? What in the name of all that was and wasn't holy, had she done? Or was it simply a game? And that was probably it. A game that the Princes somehow found amusing and the Divines decided to play along. This is what she gets for working for the Princes.

With an annoyed sigh, Seven faced the castle. It was large and clearly old. It was as if no one had stepped foot on this island in years. Perhaps it was true. Perhaps it was abandoned. And she hoped that was true. She hoped the castle wasn't infested with vampires. She hated their smell. She was having enough trouble with Serena. Not that Serena was being difficult to be around. No, she was being a quiet and polite young lady. It was just that she stank. She smelt of the rotten dead. Now, it might be attractive to other vampires—that is if they know that they smell of the dead—but it certainly wasn't attractive to werewolves. Bones were attractive to werewolves. It was why she loved fighting skeletons. However, she never knew were those bones had been. So, she never chewed on them. She could really go with a bone right now. Stupid dog instincts. Sometimes she found it ironic that she hated cats. Usually, dogs love chasing cats. Not in this case. No, Seven ran away from them.

"Come on," Seven said, "The sun will be up soon. We can't have you whinging about the forsaken sun, now can we?"

**xXx**

Seven backed up and her back hit the large doors, making them rattle. The smell! Oh, the forsaken rotten smell! The dead smell! The stench hit her, painfully so. It reminded her of the time a giant had clubbed her. Even with her dragon and werewolf blood healing her injuries quickly, she was in bed for at least an eternity. Well, she was told it was a week. But it felt like an eternity. It wasn't her fault that a giant had gotten so close to Riften. Brynjolf had decided it would be a grand idea to send her out to fight it alongside the Riften guards. A thief against a giant? Byrnjolf had to have been drunk at the time. But still she went. Her revenge against Brynjolf was constant whining. But, it could have been worse for him if she didn't have training prier with the Companions.

Seven groaned as she continued to inhale the horrible smell. Today—or any other day for that matter—was simply not her day. She closed her eyes and tried to picture she was somewhere else. She tried to picture herself training with the Companions, preferably with a hot, sweaty and shirtless Vilkas and Farkas (yum) but that daydream ended when, for some odd reason, vampires attacked and the smell returned. She tried somewhere else. Sneaking through the shadows with the hadsome Brynjolf, Rune and Vipir. Three strong men all to herself but vampires launched out of the shadows and again, the smell returned. She wasn't even going to try to picture her fighting alongside the Legion (men in skirts—mmm), she would probably end up fighting even more vampires. The stench has invaded her mind and she hated it.

"Seven?" Serena asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Seven flinched when the cold seeped through her clothes. In the distance she heard someone yelling about something returning. Did he say katana? Did a katana return? Where did it go? And what was a Harkon? "Are you alright?"

Her body was tense. She couldn't relax. _Come on, Sev_, Seven thought to herself as she tried to relax. _Keep it together. You can do this. Just relax. Think of it as just another palace that you are yet to explore and yet to annoy the Jarl. _It was a palace. That was an easy relation. She could do this. All she had to do was hold her head high and everything would be alright. With a deep breath (one she regretted when the smell hit her once more) she spoke; "Uhuh," She managed to nod. "Just…the smell of so many vampires at once is a bit of a knock back. Ugh." She pushed herself off the door. "Come on. We shouldn't keep daddy dearest waiting."

With her head held high, Seven walked down the corridor. Serena walked by her side. There was no wind to push the smell towards or away from the other. Instead, it floated in the air. Serena could pick up on the faint smell of the wolf beside her. Seven however, picked up a lot of the vampire stench. It was making her stomach churn. She was doing her best not to think about the bone she craved earlier. Or any kind of food for that matter. Her poor, sweet snowberries. The highlight of her life. The brightness of her day. The sweetness of her bitterness against cats. She couldn't even think of her favourite berries without the urge to throw up. It will be the first thing she eats when she gets out of here. _If _she gets out of here.

Now the first thing she notices is a courtroom filled with people. People who would probably suck her dry if she made even the slightest wrong move. The second thing she noticed was all the bloodstains that laid among the tables and floor. Not to mention the bodies on said tables. These vampires have no manners and clearly didn't know how to eat without making a mess. The third thing she noticed was the man that stood at the centre of the courtroom. And thanks to her so called uncanny luck, the handsome man (who out-handsome Vilkas, Farkas, Brynolf, Rune and Vipir) was also a man who could most likely kill her with a flick of his wrist. So, that's what a Harkon was. _Hello, handsome. Come to mama! _

Serena had already moved down the stone staircase, arguing with her father, which was the man at the centre of the room. Seven, herself, however, was ignored. But that was alright with her. If she could stand there and look at this dangerous yet devilish handsome man, he could ignore her all he wanted. Though, she probably should have been slightly disturbed at her thoughts because this man here was Serena's father. _Hello handsome~! _But that apparently, didn't stop her mind from thinking he was handsome in all that glory of his. Red really suited the man. Perhaps he would look even more so without—and she stopped herself there.

But as she too walked down the stairs, the smell of rotten dead brought her back to her senses. Unfortunately. And because she was practically at the smell's centre, she felt her dinner coming back up. Not good. Find a bucket. Find a bowl. Anything!

"And who is this stra…" Harkon, who turned to face the stranger that walked his halls, trailed off. His guest was found leaning of an empty pot. It probably had a plant in it. Wait…that one _did _have a plant in it. Where did it…oh there it is. On the floor a few feet away from the pot.

When Seven finally managed to look up, she only hunched over again to throw up. There went her caramelised mudcrab legs. And there went her snowberry tart dessert. She stood back up. And hunched over again. And there went her snowberry road snack. Life could be so cruel. She blamed the horrid smell of vampires. She didn't stand back up. She feared she would only hunch back over and she would lose the snowberry cookies she had eaten as she walked down the cobblestone path towards Dimhollow Crypt. Nope…there it went.

Groaning, Seven stood up and wiped her mouth. She had nothing left in her stomach. The health potion she had drank back in Solitude was soaked up by the inside of her body and into her blood stream. It was how the potion travelled through her body and healed her so quickly. She grabbed the plant of the ground and placed it back in its pot. No one will notice her mess in the pot. Except that they were all probably watching her. Perhaps they'll forget about it. She doubted it. Vampires probably had very good memories.

She turned around to find all eyes on her. She froze. Of course, they'd be on her. She probably looked like a madman for running over to a pot plant, tearing the plant out of the pot (soil and all) and puked in it only to put the plant back into the pot. To be fair, it wasn't her fault that vampires stank to Sovngarde and back. Awkwardly, Seven made her way back to Serena and the Harkon man who could ignore her as much as he wanted as long as she got to stare at him.

"Seven?" Serena asked, "Are you feeling alright?" It was a nice change for Seven for an almost complete stranger to be concerned about her. Most strangers ignored her unless she did something drastic—for good or ill.

"Yep." She spoke with false confidence. Her head spun. She hadn't thrown up anything since she was a kid. The sudden gurgitation of everything she's eaten in the last twelve hours. But when she saw black dots in her eyesight, her answered changed, "Nope."

And all went back.

Well, it only went black for Seven Honey-Maiden. She now laid unconscious at Harkon's feet.

_Mortal_ was the first thing that ran through his head. He could hear her heart beat in her chest. Each heartbeat was unusually strong for a mortal. He smelt the wolf within her, which could have explained it. However, even a werewolf's heartbeat wasn't that strong. Something else was hidden underneath the werewolf. He would find out. If not today, then tomorrow.

Harkon looked at Serena who was rolling the woman onto her back. "Does this happen often?" He asked her. After all, his daughter knew the strange woman better than he.

Serena shrug, "To be honest, I don't think so. She's a tad sensitive the smell of vampires."

Harkon raised an eyebrow. Well, that was something he didn't expect to hear in all his years of existing.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **To the sir who said I should burn this story because the protagonists name is a number; I think you should burn the name Big Daddy Chaddy because it sounds like your dad just puked. See? Not a very good reason to burn it, is it? Now, when I say criticism, I mean constructive criticism.  
Any advice, comments and criticism is well welcomed.

**xXx**

_IV. Introductions_

When Seven finally opened her eyes, she was greeted with a stone roof. A castle? Ah, she must be back at the Fort Dawnguard. Everything that she thought had happened must have been a dream. What a strange dream. Vampire princesses buried in crypts, moving gargoyles, sabre cats and skeletons, a rain shower of arrows, a tall handsome man and throwing up into a pot plant. What an odd dream. But it didn't matter, she was her bed. Back in her warm comfortable bed in the Fort Dawnguard.

Wait.

Warm?

Comfortable?

In a bed?

In Fort Dawnguard?

That didn't seem right. She sat upright. The bed she rested in was on a level higher than the rest of the room. It was comfortable. But why would a bed in be in a castle full of vampires? It's not like they have guests, often. And if they did, the guests were probably dead by morning. Well, if they were vampires than not so much. She looked down at herself, she found that she still wore her Thieves Guild armour. Well, that was a good sign. She wasn't stripped of clothing in her sleep. However, her boots were removed. As well as her gauntlets. How considerate of her hosts.

She slid out of bed quietly as she passed the occupied chair in front of the fire. She hoped that Talos wouldn't allow that tall, dark and handsome by the fire to notice her movements. Grabbing her boots and gauntlets off of the floor, she tiptoed towards the door. Then it occurred to her. Where was Dawnbreaker?

She patted her hips but they were vacant. She spun on the spot. Where was it? Dammit. She really liked that sword. But what if the vampires had it? That thing exploded when it hit things. Especially if it hits moving dead things. Well, if the castle goes out with a boom, at least she would find out where it was. However, she might be caught in the explosion and therefore, have no need for it. But while she still breathed, she was not leaving without it. It was her favourite sword, after all.

With that in mind, she stomped her way over to the seats in front of the roaring fire. One was occupied by tall dark and statue-like Harkon. So, she sat in the other one. Neither one spoke a word while Seven pulled on her boots and gauntlets. As she did so, she glanced over. If it was any other situation, his face would have kept her gaze, but the glowing object in his lap grabbed said gaze.

Dawnbreaker! The bastard had her sword. Tall dark and handsome Harkon had her sword!

Just as she went to make her obvious accusation, Harkon spoke. "What's a mortal like you doing with a weapon like this?"

_A mortal like me?_ She thought to herself, _What's that supposed to mean? _Well, she was going to tell him anyway so; she didn't really require an answer. It wasn't like she didn't have anything else that she majorly she had to do besides report to Isran. But it really wasn't on her Important To-Do list. So, he could wait. He never really gave her the time of day. Every time she got back to the Fort, Isran was there waiting with another quest for her to do. Seven got the impression that the old man didn't like her very much and that was why he kept sending her out to do meaningless tasks. So, she never paid him much heed.

"I found a beacon," She said shortly and simple. "I was told to take it to a statue. Which I did. Floated high up in the sky for a while, told to go into cave and kill a bunch of ghosts and take the sword. And bam! I have a brand new sword." Short and simple. Straight to the point. Gods, she was nervous. And sick. Harkon's smell was all over the room. She hadn't noticed it before when she was trying to sneak out but she noticed it now. Years upon years of layered vampire stench. She was starting to feel sick. "Daedric Prince Meridia let me keep it. Destroying all shadows and darkness in all corners of Tamrial in her name." Except she had no intentions of leaving Skyrim.

"Is that why you joined the Dawnguard?" He asked. He sounded annoyed. Angry. Seven would be too if someone came marching into her home with a sword that was designed to kill her kind—her kind being Dragonborn (or Nord or werewolf or Companion or Thane or thief or bard or Champion for several Daedric Princes [depending on how you look at it, really]). "To destroy lives you haven't experienced?"

Seven shifted in her seat awkwardly. That's kind of what she's been doing since Helgen. She destroyed lives without really thinking. Well, in her defence, they attacked her first. But for all she knew, a bandit she killed could have been a devoted father or a loving wife trying to get food for her sick husband. It's not like they tell her they're lives at home; so, all she could do was assume that they were destroying other people's lives and stop them. And that's what she did. Again, they never really told her they're lives. But she wouldn't tell that to this guy. No way. He looked like the type who didn't like excuses. He looked like who when he wanted something done, he wanted it done right away and done correctly without excuses. So, no excuses from her. And she spoke nothing. What was she supposed to say?

"Oh yeah, that's definitely why I decided to join the Dawnguard. To kill people and ruin lives. It's what I do best. Yay me! Now, let's go have tea so I have an excuse to stare at your face." Yeah, she was totally going to say that. Not. But she liked the idea of having tea. She knew a few recipes of ones that could help health, stamina and magicka. She was taught her by her father. She missed his tea. But she missed him more.

"The name was Seven, yes?" Harkon eventually asked when Seven said nothing. His gaze did not to turn to her. "Serena spoke of you fondly."

"And you must be Harkon," Seven said in return, "Serena spoke of you…" How many times did Serena speak of him? Let alone give a name? "…actually, she didn't really say much about you. She said she rather not talk about it."

He scoffed; "I'm not surprised. Our relationship is…" Pause. "…strained."

That's a word for it. _She didn't even give me your name, handsome. Strained is not the word I would use. More like non-existent. _

"I'm grateful that you brought my daughter home to me," Harkon said. He sounded grateful but it could have been a façade, she really didn't know. His eyes never left the fire. Was there something so entrancing in the fire? The flames dancing in the fire place was quite entrancing. Perhaps it was the closest thing vampires could get to the sun. "But, we have not been properly introduced."

Haven't been properly…? She sighed and relaxed back into her seat, running a hand through her knotted hair. Might as well. Her last introduction was her throwing up and fainting at his feet. Not exactly the best first impression. "Well, my name is Seven." She started.

"Seven?" Harkon repeated in question, finally looking over to her.

"Seven." Pause. Sigh. "Honey-Maiden. My name is Seven Honey-Maiden." She didn't exactly like her last name. Whatever intimidation she had over people was gone instantly when they learnt her last name. How could someone scary have such a sweet last name? Well, they can't. The name Seven sounded scarier. Like; _What time is it? It's seven. Oh thanks. No! It's Seven! Run! _You don't hear; _Oh no! It's Honey-Maiden! Run for your life!_ "And you are?"

"I am Harkon, Lord of this castle," He spoke proudly. It was that pride that Seven mentally groaned. _Great, another Vilkas_. Vilkas had been a very proud man when Seven meet him. And to get past that pride as a Companion, Seven had to beat the man in several rounds of fighting. He had strength and she had speed. He had reach and she had flexibility. And by the end of it, Seven had bruised skin and Vilkas had bruised pride. But it was easily patched up when she had told him that it was probably the best fight she ever had (at that time. She's had some good battles since then). Every Companion was like a little puppy she wanted to take home. She understood why when she found out half of them were werewolves. They were bloody puppies. Overgrown and killer puppies but puppies nonetheless. "By now, I'm sure Serena told you what we are."

Serena didn't need to tell her what they were. One glance at her eyes and she knew. The glowing golden eyes were usually a dead giveaway. Seven fought vampires before. Unfortunately, most of the time she lost her lunch to the smell of them. She stretched in the chair, feeling her bones crack back into place. The stretching of her muscles felt nice. "You're vampires," Seven said, as she relaxed back into the chair. "Not that I care much. After all, you said the only reason I joined the Dawnguard was to destroy lives that I haven't experienced. Which is a lie, by the way." The main reason she joined the Dawnguard was because she didn't have anything else to do. Besides, the Fort was a good place to hide if assassins were after her head. Of course, then there was saving people and stopping the world coming to an end. Again.

"Perhaps you should care," Harkon said, ignoring her Dawnguard statement. "We're not just vampires. We are among the oldest and most powerful vampires in Skyrim." But not Tamrial? Interesting. Harkon stood from his seat and stood in front of the fire. Perhaps he saw another world in those flames. What kind of world Harkon wanted was unknown to Seven. However, she figured she'd find out sooner or later; "For centuries we lived here. Far from the cares of the world." That sounded lovely, actually. Not worrying about what was happening in the outside world. She could get used to that. "But all that ended when my wife—" Wait! He was married? "—betrayed me and stole away that which I valued most." Now, that could have been the Elder Scroll or his daughter. Seven liked to believe it was his daughter.

But he was married! She really should've guessed sooner. After all, he has a daughter. Of course, he would be married. All the good-looking ones were either married or had no interest in her. Life could be so cruel.

"I imagine that must have been a very messy divorce then." Seven said awkwardly, looking up at the back of his head. He turned and looked at her. She couldn't tell if the glowing eyes were glaring at her or if they were simply trying to read her. Either way, she looked away. The smell of vampire running up her nose and down her throat. She felt bile coming up her throat. What in Tamrial did she have left in her stomach? Whatever it was, it was starting to come back up. "Uh, what happens now?" She asked, looking at her blade in Harkon's hands, trying to distract her from the smell and sickness. _Hold on, baby. Mummy's coming. _Soon, she'll have Dawnbreaker in her hands. "I doubt you're going to just let me go on my merry way."

"On the contrary," Harkon said, placing Dawnbreaker down on a set of drawers. _My baby! _Seven mentally cried, _Don't put my baby on a dusty set of drawers that you probably haven't used in Divines know how many years! _"You can leave if you so wish," He tilted her head upwards to look at him. Cold hands! Very cold hands! Oh, but what a handsome face. A very _married_ handsome face. "But since you have done me a great service, I believe you deserve a reward." A reward? Oh, goody! Seven loved rewards. "There is but one gift that I can offer you that is equal in value of the Elder Scroll and my daughter." A sword? A mace? Armour? Oh! Snowberries?! "I offer you my blood." His what? His blood? What was she supposed to do with his blood? Wave it around saying _I have blooooood~!_ _Beware! _

So, she said what any proper young overly confused lady would say; "Excuse me?"


End file.
